07 Jul Owensboro, KY

 

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in July 2025. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

The Viking Daily newsletter showed today's weather forecast as "Sunny 88° F" and "Sunrise: 5:33 AM | Sunset: 8:13 PM."

We woke around 6:15 am.

MT Monday, July 7 ‎2025, 6:13 AM - Viking Mississippi: sign for "Lafayette Spring" on rock  face to the right of the white building; another house at left was built on a mound, for flood protection.

MT 6:13 AM (Cropped) - Viking Mississippi: closer view of sign for "Lafayette Spring" on rock  face.

Lafayette Spring
From July 1824 to September 1825, the French Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), the last surviving general of the American Revolutionary War, made a tour of the 24 states of the United States. Lafayette and his party spent the night in this community after the steamboat Mechanic sank in the Ohio River on May 8, 1825. Pioneers came from miles around to visit him at this spring before he departed the following day on the passing steamboat Paragon and continued to Louisville. The marker is 4 miles east of what is now Cannelton, Indiana.

At 7:30, we went to the River Cafè (Deck 5) for breakfast.

MT 8:39 AM - Viking Mississippi: Don running on walking track (Deck 8).

At 9:15, we went to the Explorers' Lounge (Deck 2) for Trivia with Travis, our cruise director.

At 10:15, we went to the Living Room (Deck 1) for the Enhancement Lecture, at which Destination Specialist JP presented "Introduction to Ol' Man River."

At 12:00, we went to The Restaurant (Deck 1) for lunch.

The Viking Daily newsletter said the Viking Mississippi would dock at Owensboro, Kentucky at 1:00. It also had an article on Owensboro that read as follows:
"Discover the charm of Owensboro, Kentucky--a vibrant riverfront city nestled along the scenic Ohio River. Once known as 'Yellow Banks,' for its striking clay bluffs, Owensboro boast a rich history dating back to the early 1800s and played a notable role during the Civil War. Today, it thrives as a hub of agriculture and industry, producing everything from bourbon whiskey and aluminum to fine furniture, corn and chewing tobacco. Visitors can explore cultural gems like the International Bluegrass Music Museum and the engaging Museum of Science and History. Home to Kentucky Wesleyan and Brescia colleges, the city bends youthful energy with Southern hospitality."

Owensboro, Kentucky (pop. 60,183) is located on a crook in a bend of the Ohio River about 107 miles southwest of Louisville. Evidence of Native American settlement in the area dates back 12,000 years. The first European settler came in 1797. The settlement was originally known as “Yellow Banks” from the color of the land beside the Ohio River. In 1817, Yellow Banks was formally established under the name Owensborough, named after Col. Abraham Owen (1769-1811), who served as aide-de-camp to William Henry Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe, where he was killed. In 1893, the spelling of the name was shortened to its current Owensboro.

At 1:30, we went to the Living Room (Deck 1) meeting place for the (included) shore excursion "Kentucky Bluegrass Museum," for which we would depart at 1:45.

Owensboro is known as the Bluegrass Music Capital of the World. You will visit the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum. is home to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum (previously known as the International Bluegrass Music Museum). The museum is dedicated to the history and preservation of Bluegrass music and hosts the Bluegrass Hall of Fame to celebrate the best of Bluegrass musicians. Jam sessions are held at the museum every Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 pm.

MT 2:05 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum -  entrance.

1:58 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Bluegrass jam session, with guitars, banjo, and bass, just inside entrance.

MT 1:59 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Bluegrass jam session, with guitars, banjo, and bass, just inside entrance (VIDEO).

2:00 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Bluegrass jam session, joined by lady with fiddle at left.

MT 2:00 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Bluegrass jam session, with fiddle, guitars, banjo, and bass (VIDEO).

2:00 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Bluegrass jam session, joined by lady with fiddle at left (VIDEO).

2:03 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sculpture near entrance, identified by plaque as "Bill Monroe Sculpture - Grand Ole Opry 70th Anniversary."

Also near the entrance was a display of typical Bluegrass instruments inviting visitors to try them.

MT 1:59 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - musical instruments display with mandolins,  guitars, banjos, and bass; the guitar at the far left has a small note: "Left Handed Guitar- Please Return to This Stand."

MT 2:00 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - MT with banjo.

MT 2:01 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Don with banjo.

MT 2:02 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - MT with guitar and Don with banjo.

MT 2:06 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for "Blues"; text  reads as follows:

"A new musical form arose among the back community in the late 19th century. Characterized by prominent use of the guitar and songs about serious challenges to personal and community life, the blues built upon African and slave-era traditions such as call-and-response singing and repeated lyrics. White musicians, both urban and rural, were fascinated by the blues and incorporated the sounds into their own performances. During his youth in Kentucky, Bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe collaborated with blue guitarist and fiddler Arnold Shultz. Other sources brought blues songs like 'Mule Skinner Blues' and 'Sittin' On Top of the World' into bluegrass."

Photo captions are as follows:

"Top Left - W.C. HANDY

"Handy, known as 'The Father of the Blues," took the regional Delta sound and transformed it into its contemporary form."

"Top Middle - BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON

"Known as 'The Father of Texas Blues,' Jefferson was a popular blues guitarist in the 1920s."

"Top Right - BESSIE SMITH, 1936

"Influenced by Ma Rainey, Smith or 'The Empress of the Blues,' was one of the biggest stars of the 1920s and 1930s."

"Bottom - ARNOLD SCHULTZ AND CLARENCE WILSON

"Born in Ohio County Kentucky, Schultz was a major influence on Bill Monroe, guitarist Merle Travis, and countless others."

Clarence Remus Wilson (1874-1957) was a Kentucky farmer who also played the fiddle and five-string banjo. He has been called one of the “greats” of hillbilly music, along with Bill Monroe. Some of Monroe’s earliest musical memories included his uncle Pendleton Vandiver performing with another uncle, Birch Monroe, and Clarence Remus Wilson. He also played with Blues musician Arnold Schultz, when Schultz was in town. Wilson was mainly active in the 1920s. There is a photo of Schultz and Wilson sitting outside on folding chairs, posing with their instruments, Schultz with his guitar and Wilson with his fiddle.

2:09 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for "Parlor Music"; blurred text reads, with some difficulty, as follows: "Before radio and television ruled home entertainment, American parlor music was a popular family pastime. It was a big deal to have a piano and learn to read the notes and  lyrics of the latest printed sheet music. In the 19th century, sentimental and comic material was especially popular. Although much of it was composed on New York's famed 'Tin Pan Alley' for vaudeville and minstrel shows, [favored?] songs like 'Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" and 'Wildwood Flower' quickly [passed?] into oral tradition, their origins forgotten."

2:09 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for "Early Country Music."

Text next to photo of Ernest Tubb reads as follows:

"There had been country music recorded before, but it was the Victor recording label's Bristol Sessions of 1927 that brought acts like the Carter Family, the Stoneman Family, and Jimmie Rodgers to a worldwide audience. Around the same time, radio barn dances were first heard on stations in many American cities, including Chicago (The National Barn Dance) and Nashville (The Grand Ole Opry). Country singers and bands from the last half of the 20th century--those mentioned, plus stars like Roy Acuff, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, and Patsy Montana--were a major influence on the musicians who would originate bluegrass."

2:10 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for "The Stanley Brothers." 

Text under "Carter & Ralph" reads as follows:

"Born in the remote Appalachian area of Big Spraddle Creek, Virginia, Carter and Ralph Stanley grew up in the remote coal and timber fields of southwestern Virginia. Their father Lee Stanley was a singer in the Appalachian tradition, and their mother Lucy Smith Stanley was accomplished at the clawhammer-style banjo. The Stanley Brothers were heavily influenced by the music they heard while attending the McClure Primitive Baptist Church.

"They played at family and community gatherings, graduating from imagined instruments of kindling wood to the guitar and banjo as young teenagers."

Text below photo of the brothers and WCYB microphone at the right reads as follows: "After graduating in 1943 from Irvington High School, where he was class president, Carter served two years in the Army Air Corps. Committed to a professional music career, Carter joined Roy Sykes and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys in 1946, playing daily on WNVA in nearby Norton, Virginia.

"When Ralph was discharged later that year, Carter and classmate and bandmaster Pee Wee Lambert left their group to form the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys.

"Winning an audition on Bristol's brand-new 50,000-watt station WCYB, the group performed [during?] the noontime Farm and Fun Time for most of next [12?] years. Recording with Johnson [???] Tennessee Hilltoppers [rest illegible]."

Photo captions in red box at left read as follows:

"Top: Ralph and Carter Stanley with a copy of their LP, Old Time Camp Meeting, released in 1962 on King Records.

"Above: Label for the Stanley Brothers first release, 'Man of Constant Sorrow,' on Columbia Records in 19[50].

"Below: Bill Monroe, Carter Stanley, and Ralph Stanley at the [Forecastle?] Festival in Roanoke, Virginia in 1965."

Sign by photo of guitar reads: "Martin D-28 Guitar."

Photo captions in red box at right red as follows:

"Above: Ralph and Carter Stanley in [???] of WCYB Radio in Bristol, Tennessee. Virginia Bluegrass Music [???].

"Below Left Top: The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys led by Roy Ross.

"Below Left Bottom: Carter and Ralph Stanley in the [Forecastle] Festival in Roanoke, Virginia in 1966."

2:12 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for "Flatt & Scruggs."  Text reads as follows:

"Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs met in 1945 as members of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. During three years in that band, they helped set the tone of bluegrass for decades to come. Flatt was a superb vocalist and rhythm guitarist, while Scruggs was a virtuoso instrumentalist whose fluid three-finger style revolutionized banjo playing. In 1948, the duo organized their own Foggy Mountain Boys. After radio work in other Southern cities, they joined WSM in Nashville. With exciting recordings on Mercury and Columbia, Flatt & Scruggs became one of the most sought-after bands in country music."

2:12 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - poster for "Coming Soon - Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, Stars of WSM Grand Ole Opry." 

Bill Monroe (1911-1996) was a mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre.  Because of this, he is often called the “Father of Bluegrass.” The genre takes its name from his band, the Blue Grass Boys, who named their group for the bluegrass of Monroe’s home state of Kentucky.
In 1929, Monroe moved to Indiana with his brothers Birch and Charlie. Together with a friend, Larry Moore, they formed the “Monroe Bothers,” to play at local dances and house parties. Birch and Moore soon left the group, and Bill and Charlie carried on as a duo, eventually winning spots performing live on radio stations first in Indiana and then on several radio stations in Iowa, Nebraska, South Carolina, and North Carolina, from 1934 to 1936. RCA Victor signed the Monroe Brothers to a recording contract in 1936.
After the Monroe Brothers disbanded in 1938, Bill formed The Kentuckians in Little Rock, Arkansas, but the group lasted only three months. Monroe then went to Atlanta to form the first edition of the Bluegrass Boys.
In 1939, Monroe successfully auditioned for a regular spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Key developments occurred in Monroe’s music with the addition of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs to the Blue Grass Boys in 1945.

2:14 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for "Bluegrass Gets a Name." Text is too blurred to read; see the text box for Bill Monroe above.

2:15 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for "Pop Culture." Blurred text reads as follows: "Starting in the 1960s, Americans were exposed to the lively sounds of a bluegrass banjo when Flatt & Scruggs performed the opening music for a top rated television show, The Beverley Hillbillies. During the same era, the Kentucky Colonels and the Dillards were both featured bluegrass acts on the Andy Griffith Show in 1967. Flatt & Scruggs' classic recording of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" became the chase theme in the movie Bonnie and Clyde."

 

2:16 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - statue group of bluegrass jam session.

2:17 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - statue group of bluegrass jam session, from another angle.

2:40 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - replica of 1961 Chevrolet Corvair, with MT looking at the small sign that explained it.

2:40 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - water bag in back seat of Corvair replica.

MT 2:35 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - closer vie w of water bag in back seat of Corvair replica (telephoto 64 mm).

2:40 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for the above:

"Right: CORVAIR REPLICA

"Cream-colored replica of the 1961 Chevrolet Corvair that Jerry Garcia and Sandy Rothman drove on their trip east to see live bluegrass. Jerry and Sara purchased their Corvair from Sara's father's secretary.

"Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum collection, restoration by Cambron's Body Shop in Owensboro, Kentucky."

'Inside car:

"WATER BAG

"Ames Harris Neville Company desert water bag, circa 1950s. Water bags were used during trips across the desert in case vehicles overheated.

"On loan from Sara Katz."

Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the front man for the Grateful Dead. His musical career spanned several genres including rock, psychedelia, jam, bluegrass, and jazz.
There is some confusion about his relation to two individuals named Sara and Sandy:

Sara Ruppenthal Garcia was Jerry Garcia’s first wife. They met around 1963 and performed as a duo on a number of occasions. They married in 1963 and divorced in 1967. Sara played a role in an exhibit showcasing Jerry’s bluegrass roots and still possesses his bluegrass album collection. Sara later remarried and is now Sara Ruppenthal Garcia Katz.

Sandy Rothman (b. 1946) is an important figure in Jerry Garcia’s musical journey and frequent collaborator. He is a bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and record producer who was a close friend and colleague of Garcia’s. They traveled east together in 1964, on what is known as their Bluegrass Journey, seeking out bluegrass pioneers and performing together in bands like the Black Mountain Boys. Sandy Rothman was also a member of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band and shared insights into Garcia’s love for the banjo and early musical explorations.

2:40 PM - Owensboro: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum - sign for " 'This Land Is Your Land' Lyrics." Text reads as follows:

"Reproduction of Woody Guthrie's handwritten lyrics to 'This Land Is Your Land.' Los Lobos, Jerry Garcia, and Bob Weir played Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land' backstage before one of their shared bill shows in July 1989 in honor of Independence Day. The performance aired on ABC News.

"Courtesy of American Song Archives, Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma."

At 5:00, we went to the Living Room (Deck 1) for the last part of the Afternoon Melodies with the Viking Trio.

At 5:30, we stayed in the Living Room (Deck1) for the Daily Briefing by Cruise Director Travis.

The Viking Daily newsletter said that everyone needed to be back on board by 5:45, since the Viking Mississippi sailed for Henderson, Kentucky at 6:00.

At 6:00, we went to The Restaurant (Deck 1) for dinner.

MT 7:55 PM - Viking Mississippi: bridge over Ohio River near sunset (telephoto 68 mm),

 

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